My Favorite Feminists

This episode Megan & Milena cover Victorian English flower painter and botanist Marianne North and 20th century African American ophthalmologist, inventor, educator and pioneer Dr. Patricia Bath

Marianne North

Marianne looking bored, she’s got international travel to plan

In case you didn’t know, flowers are for women. For a respectable Victorian Lady, flower painting was a very respectable hobby. What was not expected, is international voyages – lasting years at a time, all in order for said respectable Victorian Lady to paint the flowers, on location.

In the case of Marianne North, that meant traveling from 19th century England to paint in California, Chile, Burma, Java, New Zealand, Jamaica, and more – traveling to over 20 countries in total. From these travels Marianne documented a wide range of flora in over a thousand paintings. This episode we explore how her family wealth and connections facilitated this, and how with enough commitment – and money – she became a unconventional painter and botanist of the time.  

The Marianne North Gallery at the Kew Gardens. Marianne paid for and designed this space to house hundreds of her paintings for public view

Selected Paintings

Selecting a few of Marianne’s work was tough – she was a very prolific artist. Below are just a few of the hundreds, more of which can be seen HERE

One of my favorite paintings – this one of a Chilean cactus in flower

These are carnivorous pitcher plants found in Java and were named after Marianne

In additions to painting plants Marianne would incorporate the wildlife around them, like these Urania moths by these angraecum in Madagascar

This is a 1880 painting of a coral tree – Marianne blended art and science in painting a entire landscape in addition to the plant subject matter

This painting is of the Otira Gorge in New Zealand. Marianne traveled there on the encouragement of family friend Charles Darwin. YEAH, just ol’ pal CHARLES DARWIN

Marianne was also such a badass she received special permission from the Emperor of fucking Japan to paint in Kyoto – which at the time was off limits to foreigners. Above is the Temple over the Great Bell of Chion-in

Mentioned this episode:

* Red Dwarf – Amazing British scifi/comedy sitcom about a group of misfits alone in space, originally airing in 1988. Watch it or be a smeghead* Maria Sibylla Merian – 17th Century scientific illustrator and entomologist who we cover in episode 8* Hastings, England – Coastal southwest English town where Marianne grew up * Sir William Hooker – Family friend and first director of the Royal Botanic Gardens, now the Kew Gardens *

This episode Megan & Milena cover English chemist and molecular biologist Rosalind Franklin & painter Romaine Brooks, an American expat in France.

Rosalind Franklin

As always, we start with writing these shownotes at 11pm on the night that the Episode is published. As well, we always start with a portrait. Say hello to her face, ladies and gentlemen.

The cool stuff now. Above is the crystallography Xray defraction of DNA that led to the discovery of its structure. People had no idea what the code of all of life looked like, and this was the first clue.

When she was done with DNA, Franklin moved on to Viruses and their structures. Because she got funding from an agricultural institute, it was to study viruses that specifically targeted plants. Franklin worked mostly on the structure of the Tobacco Mosaic Virus, which she created a 5 foot model of to exhibit at the  International Exhibit in Brussels in 1958. She unfortunately was not able to see the exhibit, as she passed away the day before it opened. But her work on viruses led to the Nobel Prize Winning Science.

Franklin got plenty of recognition posthumously. Above, we see a google doodle that Megan wouldn’t even click on [I might be shaming her a little bit]. Below, I literally just copied and pasted from her wiki page. (UGGGH Milena we’re better than Wiki) Enjoy

* 1982, Iota Sigma Pi designated Franklin a National Honorary Member.

* 1992, English Heritage placed a blue plaque commemorating Franklin on the building in Drayton Gardens, London, where she lived until her death.[222][223]* 1993, King’s College London renamed the Orchard Residence at their Hampstead Campus as Rosalind Franklin Hall.[224]* 1993, King’s College London placed a blue plaque on its outside wall bearing the inscription: “R. E. Franklin, R. G. Gosling, A. R. Stokes, M. H. F. Wilkins, H. R. Wilson – King’s College London – DNA – X-ray diffraction studies – 1953.”[225]* 1995, Newnham College, Cambridge opened a graduate residence named Rosalind Franklin Building[226] and put a bust of her in its garden.[227][228]* 1997, Birkbeck, University of London School of Crystallography opened the Rosalind Franklin Laboratory.[229]* 1997, the asteroid discovered in 1997 was named 9241 Rosfranklin.* 1998, National Portrait Gallery in London added Rosalind Franklin’s...

This episode Megan & Milena cover English chemist and molecular biologist Rosalind Franklin & painter Romaine Brooks, an American expat in France.

Rosalind Franklin

As always, we start with writing these shownotes at 11pm on the night that the Episode is published. As well, we always start with a portrait. Say hello to her face, ladies and gentlemen.

The cool stuff now. Above is the crystallography Xray defraction of DNA that led to the discovery of its structure. People had no idea what the code of all of life looked like, and this was the first clue.

When she was done with DNA, Franklin moved on to Viruses and their structures. Because she got funding from an agricultural institute, it was to study viruses that specifically targeted plants. Franklin worked mostly on the structure of the Tobacco Mosaic Virus, which she created a 5 foot model of to exhibit at the  International Exhibit in Brussels in 1958. She unfortunately was not able to see the exhibit, as she passed away the day before it opened. But her work on viruses led to the Nobel Prize Winning Science.

Franklin got plenty of recognition posthumously. Above, we see a google doodle that Megan wouldn’t even click on [I might be shaming her a little bit]. Below, I literally just copied and pasted from her wiki page. (UGGGH Milena we’re better than Wiki) Enjoy

* 1982, Iota Sigma Pi designated Franklin a National Honorary Member.

* 1992, English Heritage placed a blue plaque commemorating Franklin on the building in Drayton Gardens, London, where she lived until her death.[222][223]* 1993, King’s College London renamed the Orchard Residence at their Hampstead Campus as Rosalind Franklin Hall.[224]* 1993, King’s College London placed a blue plaque on its outside wall bearing the inscription: “R. E. Franklin, R. G. Gosling, A. R. Stokes, M. H. F. Wilkins, H. R. Wilson – King’s College London – DNA – X-ray diffraction studies – 1953.”[225]* 1995, Newnham College, Cambridge opened a graduate residence named Rosalind Franklin Building[226] and put a bust of her in its garden.[227][228]* 1997, Birkbeck, University of London School of Crystallography opened the Rosalind Franklin Laboratory.[229]* 1997, the asteroid discovered in 1997 was named 9241 Rosfranklin.* 1998, National Portrait Gallery in London added Rosalind Franklin’s...

This episode Megan & Milena cover French 19th century animal realist painter Rosa Bonheur & American computer scientist and Navy rear Admiral Grace Hopper

Rosa Bonheur

Crop of Anna Klumpke’s painting of painter Rosa Bonheur

Slaughterhouses are not a place I’d like to visit today. A 19th century Paris slaughterhouse is definitely not a place I’d like to visit today, tomorrow, yesterday, or whatever the time space continuum has to throw at me. For painter Rosa Bonheur they were exactly the place she wanted to be.             Coming of age in mid 1800’s, Rosa rose to fame not only a leading animalist painter, but also leading woman painter of the 19th century. Undeterred by social convention, Rosa was uncompromising in her art and her life. Living openly as a lesbian, Rosa and her partner Nathalie traveled internationally enjoying the prestige Rosa’s paintings brought.  This episode we cover Rosa’s crossdressing in slaughterhouses, pissing the French off, and how tiring it can be to visit the zoo – just bring the lion’s home instead.

Selected Artwork

Early painting, accepted into the 1840 Paris Salon, Rabbits Nibbling Carrots

Animal head study – Rosa would often frequent slaughterhouses in order to expand her knowledge of animal anatomy

One of Rosa’s most well known works, Ploughing in the Nivernais, a painting commissioned by the French government

Rosa’a massive 16 foot long painting, The Horse Fair, that won special award for outstanding at the 1853 Paris Salon, the painting later touring England and the US

Above is the painting The Horse Fair at home in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC, where it was gifted by Cornelius Vanderbilt

This painting that Rosa did for Buffalo Bill became his favorite, upon learning his house was burning down he told his wife to save this and nothing else

Pictured is Rosa and her first wife of over 50 years, Nathalie Micas. Together Rosa and Nathalie supported one another, living openly queer in 19th century France

Above is the Cross of the Legion of Honor, which was given the Rosa by the Empress and which she can be seen wearing in the previous image

* Nathalie Micas – Rosa’s love for over 50 years, Nathalie supported Rosa as the artist’s wife, handling the business and domestics aspects of their life * Ernest Gambart – Extremely influential art dealer who connected Rosa’s art to an international community * Cornelius Vanderbilt – When Cornelius bought Rosa’s 16 foot painting The Horse Sale while it was touring the United States, he was the richest man in America. Later the painting was donated to the Met*

This episode Megan & Milena cover French 19th century animal realist painter Rosa Bonheur & American computer scientist and Navy rear Admiral Grace Hopper

Rosa Bonheur

Crop of Anna Klumpke’s painting of painter Rosa Bonheur

Slaughterhouses are not a place I’d like to visit today. A 19th century Paris slaughterhouse is definitely not a place I’d like to visit today, tomorrow, yesterday, or whatever the time space continuum has to throw at me. For painter Rosa Bonheur they were exactly the place she wanted to be.             Coming of age in mid 1800’s, Rosa rose to fame not only a leading animalist painter, but also leading woman painter of the 19th century. Undeterred by social convention, Rosa was uncompromising in her art and her life. Living openly as a lesbian, Rosa and her partner Nathalie traveled internationally enjoying the prestige Rosa’s paintings brought.  This episode we cover Rosa’s crossdressing in slaughterhouses, pissing the French off, and how tiring it can be to visit the zoo – just bring the lion’s home instead.

Selected Artwork

Early painting, accepted into the 1840 Paris Salon, Rabbits Nibbling Carrots

Animal head study – Rosa would often frequent slaughterhouses in order to expand her knowledge of animal anatomy

One of Rosa’s most well known works, Ploughing in the Nivernais, a painting commissioned by the French government

Rosa’a massive 16 foot long painting, The Horse Fair, that won special award for outstanding at the 1853 Paris Salon, the painting later touring England and the US

Above is the painting The Horse Fair at home in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC, where it was gifted by Cornelius Vanderbilt

This painting that Rosa did for Buffalo Bill became his favorite, upon learning his house was burning down he told his wife to save this and nothing else

Pictured is Rosa and her first wife of over 50 years, Nathalie Micas. Together Rosa and Nathalie supported one another, living openly queer in 19th century France

Above is the Cross of the Legion of Honor, which was given the Rosa by the Empress and which she can be seen wearing in the previous image

Mentioned this episode:

* Nathalie Micas – Rosa’s love for over 50 years, Nathalie supported Rosa as the artist’s wife, handling the business and domestics aspects of their life * Ernest Gambart – Extremely influential art dealer who connected Rosa’s art to an international community * Cornelius Vanderbilt – When Cornelius bought Rosa’s 16 foot painting The Horse Sale while it was touring the United States, he was the richest man in America. Later the painting was donated to the Met*

This episode Megan & Milena cover sexologist Virginia Johnson & Chicago Imagist painter Christina Ramberg

Virginia Johnson

This week, we’re taking a look at our problematic fav, Virginia Johnson. And she is looking real smug here. Probably because she helped normalize sexual conversations in the United States during the 1950s. And she did some shitty stuff to get to this point. But, hey, this lady did a lot to help women take a hold of their sexuality.

Johnson was one half of a controversial Sexology duo. Considered the “softer side” of the team, Johnson had no formal training and had only earned a degree in musical singing. As a desperate attempt to pay her bills and feed her kids, Johnson took a job as a secretary for Dr. Masters in his lab. The two would later team up to look into the nitty gritty of the birds and the bees, and discover groundbreaking truths about sex and the human body.

The first publication by the team, titled Human Sexual response, focused on the series of events that happen during sex, as well as how the human body reacts to sexual stimuli. It looked at the differences between the Male body and the Female body.

Publication number two? Focused on sexuality inadequacy. Erectile dysfunction and the inability to orgasm.

Masters and Johnson would go on to publish a multitude of journals and books that focused on the human sexual experience. But all was not perfect. Things got messy. Affairs were had. Shitty views were expressed. It was bad. This week we explore the good and the ugly that our lady sexologist, Virginia Johnson, brought into the world.

Christina Ramberg

            I’mma

be honest – this one doesn’t have a happy ending. Despite a life cut short,

during Christina’s professional career she received recognition and accolades

for her paintings. Settling in Chicago in the 1960’s, Christina’s art became

part of a wave of post WWII artists known as the Chicago Imagists. Setting her

apart from those artists was her depiction of the female form. Seen at the time

as both a support and critique of women’s bodies, Christina challenged

traditional notions of women as seen through the male gaze.

            Her work as an artist and

educator built on first wave feminism. This episode we talk her early sexy

paintings, being in Playboy and how insecurities can get to the best of us.

Selected Work

Early Work

The 1971 painting Black Widow, for this series of work Christina pulled from watching her mother get dressed for formal events while a child

1971, Shady Lacy, Acrylic on Masonite – Christina would sand down the surface in order to create her tightly rendered and smooth paintings

Christina’s most well known painting, her 1972 work Waiting Lady

Studies

Hand studies

Untitled painting, acrylic on Masonite

Shoe studies

A collection on her corset/urns

Later Work

This episode Megan & Milena cover sexologist Virginia Johnson & Chicago Imagist painter Christina Ramberg

Virginia Johnson

This week, we’re taking a look at our problematic fav, Virginia Johnson. And she is looking real smug here. Probably because she helped normalize sexual conversations in the United States during the 1950s. And she did some shitty stuff to get to this point. But, hey, this lady did a lot to help women take a hold of their sexuality.

Johnson was one half of a controversial Sexology duo. Considered the “softer side” of the team, Johnson had no formal training and had only earned a degree in musical singing. As a desperate attempt to pay her bills and feed her kids, Johnson took a job as a secretary for Dr. Masters in his lab. The two would later team up to look into the nitty gritty of the birds and the bees, and discover groundbreaking truths about sex and the human body.

The first publication by the team, titled Human Sexual response, focused on the series of events that happen during sex, as well as how the human body reacts to sexual stimuli. It looked at the differences between the Male body and the Female body.

Publication number two? Focused on sexuality inadequacy. Erectile dysfunction and the inability to orgasm.

Masters and Johnson would go on to publish a multitude of journals and books that focused on the human sexual experience. But all was not perfect. Things got messy. Affairs were had. Shitty views were expressed. It was bad. This week we explore the good and the ugly that our lady sexologist, Virginia Johnson, brought into the world.

Christina Ramberg

            I’mma

be honest – this one doesn’t have a happy ending. Despite a life cut short,

during Christina’s professional career she received recognition and accolades

for her paintings. Settling in Chicago in the 1960’s, Christina’s art became

part of a wave of post WWII artists known as the Chicago Imagists. Setting her

apart from those artists was her depiction of the female form. Seen at the time

as both a support and critique of women’s bodies, Christina challenged

traditional notions of women as seen through the male gaze.

            Her work as an artist and

educator built on first wave feminism. This episode we talk her early sexy

paintings, being in Playboy and how insecurities can get to the best of us.

Selected Work

Early Work

The 1971 painting Black Widow, for this series of work Christina pulled from watching her mother get dressed for formal events while a child

1971, Shady Lacy, Acrylic on Masonite – Christina would sand down the surface in order to create her tightly rendered and smooth paintings

Christina’s most well known painting, her 1972 work Waiting Lady

Studies

Hand studies

Untitled painting, acrylic on Masonite

Shoe studies

A collection on her corset/urns

Later Work

This episode Megan and Milena cover painter,

educator and art ambassador Lois Mailou Jones & Anglo-American

physician Elizabeth Blackwell, America’s first woman to

earn a M.D.

Lois Mailou Jones

Lois working in her studio – look at that silly little kitty, being all like “I don’t know Lois, the compositional effect is contradicted in the over saturation of warm tones creating a disharmonious flow that takes away from the multicultural – oh look a piece of string! “

Okay, so, I’m not saying that you guys have to listen

to Ep. 3 & 4 to full get the significance of who I’m about to do – but you guys

should totally listen to Ep. 3 & 4. This week we cover Lois Mailou Jones,

an African American painter who primarily alternated between impressionistic

landscapes and paintings about the Black experience. Born in 1905, Lois saw the

transition of African American art as systematically repressed to eventually

reaching mainstream validation in major museums 

– in part because of her unrelenting creative work.

            Lois acts as a conduit between

Ep. 3 & 4 artists Meta Warrick Fuller and Elizabeth Catlett. Inspired by

one and teaching the other, Lois’s life is an example of prevailing in spite of

some good ol’ fashioned American racism and

sexism. So sit down, tune in, and see what Martha’s Vineyard, Hillary Clinton

and the president of Haiti all have in common.

Selected Artwork

Early Work

This 1936 charcoal on paper piece, Negro Youth, won honorable mention in a 1930 competition, marking Lois’s shift from design into fine art

French/Hatit Paintings

Traveling to Paris spurred Lois’s creative development. There she picked up French influences like Impressionism and Cubism, exploring both in her works. Above is the 1947 painting, Les Clochards, Montmartre, Paris, casein on board

This painting, Jardin du Luxembourg, ca. 1948, oil on canvas, Lois would never have been able to paint back in the United States. City parks like this were segregated, Lois would never have been granted access because of her race

This 1954 oil painting, Eglise Saint Joseph, was painted in Haiti. On her visits there her colors became much richer, her paintings typically focusing on daily life

Fabric Design

Early textile design work from 1928, watercolor on paper – her early style is incorporated into later work inspired by her travels through Africa

African Paintings

This is one of Lois’s most well known paintings, Les Fetiches. It was done in 1938 while in Paris. For Lois, “if white painters such as Picasso, Matisse and Modigliani could use African art, then she certainty had the right because it was her heritage”

Lois’s 1972 acrylic painting Ubi Girl from Tai Region, part of a collection of paintings pulling from her experiences traveling across Africa

Lois Mailou Jones in front of her painting entitled ‘Ubi Girl From Tai Region, 1972,’ at a Washington, D.C. exhibition in 1990

A 1983 acrylic painting Initiation, Liberia – these paintings are a major departure from her impressionistic paintings,

This episode Megan and Milena cover painter,

educator and art ambassador Lois Mailou Jones & Anglo-American

physician Elizabeth Blackwell, America’s first woman to

earn a M.D.

Lois Mailou Jones

Lois working in her studio – look at that silly little kitty, being all like “I don’t know Lois, the compositional effect is contradicted in the over saturation of warm tones creating a disharmonious flow that takes away from the multicultural – oh look a piece of string! “

Okay, so, I’m not saying that you guys have to listen

to Ep. 3 & 4 to full get the significance of who I’m about to do – but you guys

should totally listen to Ep. 3 & 4. This week we cover Lois Mailou Jones,

an African American painter who primarily alternated between impressionistic

landscapes and paintings about the Black experience. Born in 1905, Lois saw the

transition of African American art as systematically repressed to eventually

reaching mainstream validation in major museums 

– in part because of her unrelenting creative work.

            Lois acts as a conduit between

Ep. 3 & 4 artists Meta Warrick Fuller and Elizabeth Catlett. Inspired by

one and teaching the other, Lois’s life is an example of prevailing in spite of

some good ol’ fashioned American racism and

sexism. So sit down, tune in, and see what Martha’s Vineyard, Hillary Clinton

and the president of Haiti all have in common.

Selected Artwork

Early Work

This 1936 charcoal on paper piece, Negro Youth, won honorable mention in a 1930 competition, marking Lois’s shift from design into fine art

French/Hatit Paintings

Traveling to Paris spurred Lois’s creative development. There she picked up French influences like Impressionism and Cubism, exploring both in her works. Above is the 1947 painting, Les Clochards, Montmartre, Paris, casein on board

This painting, Jardin du Luxembourg, ca. 1948, oil on canvas, Lois would never have been able to paint back in the United States. City parks like this were segregated, Lois would never have been granted access because of her race

This 1954 oil painting, Eglise Saint Joseph, was painted in Haiti. On her visits there her colors became much richer, her paintings typically focusing on daily life

Fabric Design

Early textile design work from 1928, watercolor on paper – her early style is incorporated into later work inspired by her travels through Africa

African Paintings

This is one of Lois’s most well known paintings, Les Fetiches. It was done in 1938 while in Paris. For Lois, “if white painters such as Picasso, Matisse and Modigliani could use African art, then she certainty had the right because it was her heritage”

Lois’s 1972 acrylic painting Ubi Girl from Tai Region, part of a collection of paintings pulling from her experiences traveling across Africa

Lois Mailou Jones in front of her painting entitled ‘Ubi Girl From Tai Region, 1972,’ at a Washington, D.C. exhibition in 1990

A 1983 acrylic painting Initiation, Liberia – these paintings are a major departure from her impressionistic paintings,

This episode Megan and Milena cover Margaret Hamilton, NASA’s first software engineer & Anne de Rochechouart de Mortemart, Duchess of Uzès, a wealthy aristocratic French sculptor

Margaret Hamilton

Look at this fierce lady. This is the face of a woman who made it possible for man to get to the moon. Margaret Hamilton is a brilliant software engineer that made the Apollo lunar landing possible, as well as developed her own math theory AND programming language.Wut.

Hamilton practically lived in her office. Look at that determination. LOOK. AT. IT.

Here it is, the famous picture that literally everyone has seen on Facebook of Hamilton standing next to the handwritten code that made the lunar mission so successful. It’s as tall as her. And now you can remember her name!

Here’s our girl representing MIT, the school that developed and hosted the Laboratory that Hamilton worked for while she was working on the Apollo missions.

Hamilton is featured in the Lego set, aptly named “Women of NASA.” She stars alongside Mae Jemison, Sally Ride, and Nancy Grace Roman. Stay tuned for those ladies!

And here is Hamilton receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom from the one and only Barack Obama. We are deceased.

Marie Adrienne Anne Victurnienne Clementine de Rochechouart de Mortemart, Duchesse d’Uzès

Also known as Anne

Anne looking badass in this portrait – hunting knife and whip at the ready. Photo by: Photo12/UIG via Getty Images

Anne is a type of rich you and I will never know. And not like buying name brand sugar rich, or Tesla rich, or ‘oh look at me I have a 401k with dental and vision insurance benefits’ rich, but ‘oldest noble French family that dates back to the 730’s’ rich. And yeah, having a long family line doesn’t make you rich, but the accumulation of centuries worth of power and money does help. Thankfully for us Annie was the type of woman, which upon her deathbed, had spent the majority of her wealth. Even luckier for us she used it on art and feminism. This episode we cover how badass she was spending that money, making the world a better place because of it.

Family History

What’s this? Oh just the family crest of the House of Rochechouart. The House motto? The Spirit surpasses the Matter

1863 painting by Léon Cogniet of Madame Clicquot and her granddaughter Anne, sole heir to her champagne fortune. In the top right corner? Just the family house…

Oh just Château de Boursault, the family house where Anne grew up

View of one of the rooms. How many in total I can’t say but I imagine the heating costs are a nightmare

Selected Sculptures

Sculpture of Saint Hubert, the patron saint of hunters, that Anne exhibited at the Salon of French Artists – a marble version of that was shown at the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago

Crop of Anne working on her Monument to Joan of Arc, painting by Adolphe Demange

Entire painting by Adolphe Demange showing Anne at work on one of her monumental sculptures